1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a cutting board for safely supporting or cutting foodstuffs, household items and other materials. Safety results by employment of downwardly directed projections from the traction surface which sufficiently raise the cutting board off the countertop, floor or planar surface and provide gripping non-slip traction during the cutting or support process, allowing juice and other fluids to flow under the board and avoiding pooling under and around or planing of the board thereby minimizing the growth of microbes and diminishing the likelihood of a slippery and dangerous condition.
2. Description of Related Art
Cutting boards are well known in the art and are primarily designed to provide a surface on which to cut food and other materials while protecting the countertop, but most fail to provide a reliably safer device. Cutting food stuffs and other materials is a potentially dangerous task, i.e. using a sharp knife or cleaver under pressure against often times frozen, hard, or cumbersome items, often in a wet environment created from fluids seeping from items during the cutting process and invariably without use of any safety or protective equipment or gear. Foods oozing fluids when cut are frequently encountered on cutting boards. The household kitchen counter is the most frequent surface on which such cutting occurs and family members during regular day to day meal preparation are the most frequent users. This environment and type of unprotected untrained user presents a situation which demands extra safety precautions.
The structure of cutting boards known in the art either fails to address this safety hazard or incompletely or inadequately solves the problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,294 issued to Bodomolny discloses a cutting board with a replaceable cutting surface and traction elements in the form of rubber feet individually attached, spaced rubber treads or rubber grip fastened by adhesives or stainless steel screws on the bottom surface. Bodomolny does not teach or suggest the use of unitarily molded traction elements, parameters related to height, quantity, spacing, shape, surface area, and the overall bottom surface configuration set forth in the present invention. Planing and reduced traction resulting from fluid dynamics as related to the available space under the cutting board and traction resulting therefrom are never addressed in terms of the height, number, configuration and individual shape of the projections, on which the present invention focuses.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,759 issued to Potter discloses a cutting board with a spiked platform to engage and retain food to be cut, a knife blade guide, a plurality of channeled depressions on the top surface for the temporary retention of juices and food related debris as opposed to the raised bottom surface for traction and to prevent slippage created by the planing effect of accumulated fluid in direct contact with the cutting board disclosed in the present invention. Potter provides a food retaining element that applies to the item to be cut as opposed to restricting movement of the cutting board apparatus on the countertop.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,022 issued to Gibson discloses a rectangular cutting board with a leveling component composed of a flexible, friction, enhancing material such as rubber, located at the four corners of the board. The present invention enhances traction by increasing the number of surface area contacts with an overall plurality of flexible projections (a minimum of 13 is preferred) molded or configured, or attached as part of, and which are spatially arranged, and spaced apart over the entire underside of a traction surface, not just the four corners. The location and plurality (at least 13) of flexible friction contacts in the present invention not only enhances the ability of the cutting board to support the item placed on the board surface, which is often heavy, but also increases the traction arising from the greater number of elevating contact points and greater surface area of the projections in contact with the countertop. When there are only a few projections located only at the corners, the cutting board may actually be subject to slippage arising not only, from the minimal number and amount of surface contact area, but also from the bowing of the cutting board under the weight of the item placed on the board surface. When an item to be cut is heavy, the weight, distributed in the central most portion of the cutting board, with support only at the four corners, without additional support underneath, may actually reduce surface area contact at the corners. Center weight compression caused the supports to tilt inwardly which not only decreases the amount of friction contact but also permits fluid to flow under the projections contact thereby allowing planing to occur. This situation may even worsen when the downward cutting force adds even more non-supported force directed centrally on the cutting board.
Applicant believes that when at least 13 flexible friction contact projections providing a predetermined surface area contact are spatially arranged over the entire bottom of the traction surface and are spaced apart, the weight of the item to be cut is not only supported directly thereunder, but also, the weight of the item enhances the force of frictional contact of the projections.
Although non-slip cutting boards have long existed as butcher block countertops and similar large, heavy and stationary devices, these devices take up space, are cumbersome, and neither portable nor easily or adequately cleaned, such as in a dishwasher.
The need arises not only, for a cutting board which provides overall traction and diminishes slippage of the board, but also enhances support of food or other materials over the entire cutting surface, and is elevated to channel fluids underneath the cutting board, is portable, space saving, dishwasher safe, and more sanitary.
The present invention provides a cutting board designed to satisfy the aforementioned deficiencies.
A food cutting board comprising an elevated, non-slip cutting and support board having a baseboard fused with or fixedly attached to and supported by a bottom traction surface having a patterned plurality of spaced apart flexible projections with flat surfaces that provide a predetermined total surface area contact which grip the countertop surface for traction and for enhanced support of food or other objects, particularly in the central portion of the cutting board during the cutting process. Due to the elevated position of the cutting and support surface created by the plurality of projections, an area underneath the cutting board exists to accommodate and channel away juices and fluids. The channels for fluids under the cutting board diminishes the likelihood of microbial growth on and around the board due to the increased flow and aeration available under the board rather than accumulating about the perimeter of the board nearer the food as is the situation when the cutting board sits flush on the countertop during use. The plurality of projections and the total surface area contact for traction reduces the likelihood of a planing effect which is more likely with no elevation of the cutting board above the countertop and/or friction contact projections located at only the four corners of the underside of the cutting board. The chance of slippage and potential for physical injury is reduced when planing is avoided. The elevation is such as to allow free flow of fluid and air thereunder but not so high as to complicate use or create instability.
This cutting board for inhibiting movement or slippage on the countertop, comprises a rigid, durable, flat, planar baseboard with an overlying, abutting, flexible bottom traction surface with downwardly directed, spaced apart projections of equal height, but which may be of equal or variable size and shape and which extend over substantially the entire bottom traction surface.
The preferred shape of the baseboard and traction surface is substantially rectangular, however any geometric shape, e.g. hexagonal, octagonal, circular, oval, triangular, rhomboidal, free form shape or shape designed to resemble animate or inanimate objects, could be used so long as sized to accommodate the material to be cut or supported.
A plurality of projections having substantially flat bottoms, preferably integrally molded and directed downwardly from the underside of the traction surface are of a height to allow sufficient fluid flow underneath while maintaining stability and ease of use. These projections are situated and spatially arranged uniformly or sporadically over substantially the entire underside of the traction surface in a manner that fosters stability and the free flow of fluid thereunder. The projections are preferably flat topped, cubic, truncated cone, pyramidical columnar, hemispherical, discoidal, polyhedral, discoidal, cylindrical, or in the form of longitudinal concentric or spiral ridges, or other 3-dimensional geometric or free form shape, configuration and dimension to elevate the baseboard off the support surface while providing support, traction and flow through spaces thereunder and a predetermined contact surfaced area available to engage the countertop.
An elevated, non-slip cutting board assembly which is composed of a durable, continuous, flat planar, rigid body having an upper surface suitable for engagement with a knife or other cutting blade and a base having a substantially planar cutting surface and an underlying, abutting traction component of shape and size identical to the baseboard. The traction component is comprised of a planar top surface and bottom surface having at least 13 downwardly directed, spaced apart projections of equal height, spatially arranged over and emanating from the bottom of the traction component and extending substantially out to and along the perimeter of said cutting board.
The spaced apart projections support and elevate the cutting board body above the countertop providing sufficient air channels under the cutting board to allow fluid to flow underneath the cutting board. The projections are spatially arranged over substantially the entire underside of the traction surface to provide a predetermined minimum amount of surface area engagement with a countertop surface for greater support and enhanced frictionally gripping of the cutting board with the countertop.
A more specific characterization of the present invention is that of an elevated, non-slip cutting board which is composed of a rectangular, substantially flat, polyethylene baseboard and an underlying, abutting flexible silicon bottom traction element of a shape substantially identical to the baseboard. The traction component has top and bottom flat surfaces. From the bottom surface of the traction component emanates a plurality of downwardly directed, spaced apart octahedron shaped projections of equal height, spatially arranged thereon and extending substantially to and along the perimeter of the cutting board. The total combined surface area of contact of the projections with the countertop as compared to the amount of overall planar area of the cutting board is between, 3:4 and 1:10. The cutting board further includes a human hand-sized opening for use as a handle for carrying, hanging, and stabilizing the cutting board during use.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a portable, dishwasher safe, elevated cutting board supported thereunder by a plurality of projections which grip the countertop, channel juices and excess fluids thereunder, provide greater support, reduce slippage, minimize the likelihood of microbal growth thereon or around, and which does not mar the countertop or surface on which the cutting board rests.
In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.